Raffles Campus

Mr Heizan Misabi (left), 24, had a headache when he was trying to decide which hospitality private school to enrol in.

This was because most of the private schools here offered similar programmes.

But Raffles Campus - which offered its students an industrial attachment in Dubai as part of their hospitality programme - caught his eye.

Said Mr Heizan: 'My goal was to work overseas and this course offered me the chance to do so without the hassle of applying for such overseas jobs.'

He will be heading to Dubai in December this year.

These overseas attachments are usually with hotels and are about two months long.

He will get a token monthly allowance for the attachment but Heizan feels that the exposure is more important than the money.

He has to fork out about $1,000 for the return airfare but his accommodation will be provided for.

An added incentive is that those who do well during their attachments are usually offered two- to three-year job contracts by their respective employers.

Mr Heizan, who has taken his Nlevels once, and Olevels twice, is currently studying for the Diploma of Hospitality Management at Raffles Campus.

His course is 16 months long. Some of the course modules he has completed include front office and safety issues in hotels.

He hopes to eventually work as an events co-ordinator in a hotel.

He said: 'That way, I get to meet a lot of people. And I don't mind the hard work, as long as I enjoy myself.'

'The pay can be good too.'

Mr Heizan added that he found his calling to work in the hospitality industry during his National Service days.

Back then, he worked as an administrator in the Singapore Civil Defence Force library, handling library duties such as the loaning of books.

'I realised... then that I like interacting and dealing with people,' he said.

This article was first published in The New Paper on January 12, 2009.